At Schroededers downtown, there was plenty of elbow room at the bar. "We usually have a good crowd for happy hour, for the after work crowd, but this evening has been a little bit slow," said manager Aram Roubinian. "Slower than usual, especially for a Friday."

Rush hour traffic was lighter than usual because so many people left early.

"My company just told me to go home," said San Francisco resident Linda Nguyen. "And I went home to the Presidio and was still out."

With no power at home, she brought friends to a restaurant in the Marina, which was still closed, and had delivery people waiting outside.